Tides
by cym70
Summary: Pearl's been in love before, and Blue worries sometimes. (Day 3 of Pearlshipping Bomb)


It wasn't unusual for Pearl to find the space next to her empty when she woke after the rare occasions that she slept. She knew she'd find Blue out on the beach again, watching the tides come and go and wetting her hair with salty ocean water to keep it out of her eyes. It was routine, and it was something Blue needed, though she didn't quite understand why.

So she stood, slipped out of the temple, and made her way over to the small figure huddled on the sand.

"Blue," she called softly.

She turned her head, smiling faintly when she saw Pearl despite the air of melancholy lingering around her. "Sorry if I woke you."

"It's alright." Pearl sat down beside her. "Is anything the matter?"

"No," she murmured. "I was just thinking."

She nodded and reached for Blue's hand, surprised and a little hurt when Blue withdrew it quickly. "Just thinking?" she repeated hesitantly.

Blue's shoulders hunched slightly as she drew her knees in to her chest. "You were dreaming," she said in a low voice.

"I… Oh. You could see it." Pearl's bit her lip. "What exactly…?"

"You and Rose."

Pearl searched for something, anything to say. She didn't feel right apologizing for it, even though the image had clearly troubled Blue in some way.

"I'm not upset that you dreamed about her," Blue said in a whisper. "You loved her."

She wanted to say _I love you too_ but it seemed out of place. "Blue…"

"Why haven't you ever asked me to fuse with you?" she asked quietly.

"Fuse?" Pearl's eyes widened in surprise. "I…I suppose I wasn't sure if you were interested. Are you?"

"I don't know." Blue's voice was strained. "I just—You seemed to love fusing with her so much, and with me you never even…" She dug her fingers into the sand. "I don't know."

"Blue," she said gently, placing one hand over hers uncertainly. "I don't need you to be Rose. I'd never ask you to try and replace her."

"Because I can't?"

"Because I don't want that. You're your own person."

Blue shook her head. "I'm still figuring that out."

"And you've made so much progress." Pearl swept a hand through Blue's damp hair, making her look up. "I wouldn't want to disrupt that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she murmured, "I'm not going to ask you to fuse with me."

Blue jerked away, eyes dark with hurt.

"Not _yet._ Not until you're ready." Pearl sighed, holding herself back so she wouldn't invade Blue's personal space without permission. "You've never fused before. _We've_ never fused before. It's going to be wonderful and exhilarating and beautiful. But," she said softly, "it's going to be confusing too. It's…messy. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's best to be sure of _yourself_ before you become part of someone else."

Blue nodded, scrubbing at her eyes. "But…you want to?"

"One day, yes, of course I want to."

"I'm sorry I'm not ready yet," she whispered.

"No," Pearl breathed, opening her arms and feeling a wave of relief wash over her when Blue settled into them immediately. "You don't need to be sorry." She held Blue close, the embrace giving her strength as much as it gave Blue.

The barest inch of water began to creep up around their feet with each push and pull of the tide as Blue held onto Pearl tightly. "I was scared," she mumbled into Pearl's shoulder. "I thought maybe you weren't happy."

"Oh," she said softly, squeezing her, "that's not true. You've always made me happy."

"Really?"

"Really. I hope I'm returning even half of that happiness to you."

"You are," Blue replied earnestly. "You are." Small tears leaked through the shoulder of Pearl's shirt as she pulled her as close as possible. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_ ," Pearl countered, twisting a little to kiss the side of her head. "And thank you for telling me what was wrong." Another kiss, as she slid a hand comfortingly down Blue's back. "I love you. I love you as _you_."

She lifted her head a little to look into Pearl's eyes. "I love you too," she whispered. "I love you so much." She gasped a little as Pearl dipped her head to kiss the gem on her chest, and then a blinding smile crept onto her face. She laughed, pulling Pearl forward and covering her lips, cheeks, and nose with kisses before darting up to her gem. "I love you."

Pearl carded her fingers through Blue's hair with a smile. "Come back inside?"

Blue nodded, standing and pulling Pearl to her feet as well, their hands joined.

Back inside the house, Pearl was stopped by a brief tug on her fingers and glanced back to find Blue looking up at Rose's portrait.

"Thank you," Blue murmured respectfully. "I wish I had been able to meet you." She squeezed Pearl's hand tightly. "And who you were together. I'm sure she was wonderful too."

Pearl smiled softly. "Rainbow Quartz."

"Rainbow Quartz," she echoed quietly, turning to Pearl and leaning up to kiss her cheek again, lips dampened by the grateful tears that had slipped from Pearl's eyes. "I only saw her for a moment. Tell me more about her sometime?"

She nodded quickly, eyes warm as she caught Blue's cheek gently. "I would love to."

Blue smiled, layering her hand over Pearl's.

"Thank you," she murmured, "for understanding."

"She's part of your life too," she replied. "I wouldn't ask you to forget that."

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" Pearl asked warmly.

"Maybe once," Blue said with a small, playful grin. She tugged Pearl back towards the temple door. "You might have to remind me again."

"I think that can be arranged," she returned, opening her door smoothly and leading Blue inside.

They settled down off to one side, Blue cuddling up to Pearl as she began to talk. She was content to listen to the numerous little anecdotes and stories that brought tears to Pearl's eyes, leaning up and kissing them from her cheeks and holding her when she started to feel overwhelmed.

"I love you," she repeated quietly as Blue wrapped her arms around her waist. "You're sure you're alright?"

She nodded, eyes bright with determination. "I am. I'd just…like to keep talking about it? So we can both decide when we're ready."

"Of course." Pearl pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Take your time."

"Thank you," Blue murmured.

They curled up close to one another and listened to the water cascade steadily around them, soothing them both into a light sleep.


End file.
